Opposable Thumbs —

LittleBigPlanet: why jump when you can fight?

Everyone knows that LittleBigPlanet has some great platforming elements, but …

LittleBigPlanet is a strikingly deceiving title. The press have come to adore MediaMolecule's gorgeous work of contemporary gaming art, which somehow has interested the casual gamer and hardcore gamer. Behind the veil of cuteness is a game that has far more variety than one might expect.

The level we played was quite unlike the levels shown in demos up to this point, those had linear platforming-only action. In this particular level, I had to work together with two other players on the show floor to defeat a boss character: a giant paper cut-out character throwing bombs down at us. Using the game's robust physics engine, we had to work as a team to move a bouncy pad under the hurled balls to rebound them back up towards the boss.

Just as we got into a good groove, though, the entire ground started to move and tilt. It turns out we were standing on a big moving platform. The platform began to rise and tilted from side to side, sending us into disarray. We quickly had to reorganize in order to both lift and tilt the bouncy pad to defeat the enemy.

The developers on-site made a point of saying that these kind of variable encounters with combat were limitless. In fact, the general play of the game can change significantly from level to level: platforming levels are easily created, but so too are racing levels, boss levels, combat levels, and more. LittleBigPlanet, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, is quickly becoming more than just the attractive and customizable platformer it once appeared to be. Keep your eyes out for more coverage as the game's October release approaches.